upper cervical blog

​Ménière’s Disease affects many people in their normal lives and even some celebrities. Most recently 2015 Grammy nominee Ryan Adams talked about living his life with this condition. He has openly discussed the ups and downs of heaving the condition and almost quit music as a result. He describes the condition on good days as having the sounds of wind and a siren in his ears, and the bad days like standing in front of a jet engine.1

Ménière’s Disease is a condition that affects approximately 200 out of 100,000 people, starting around the age of 40 years old. The disease affects the inner ear which is responsible for balance and coordination. There are currently no FDA approved treatments for the condition and a wide array of treatment options. Adams sought out treatments ranging from hypnotherapy to medical marijuana and has been able to be functional through diet and lifestyle changes.2

​Many people suffer with the disease and have little to no success with traditional treatment options. However Ménière’s specialist Dr. Grayson Blom is helping patients get natural relief from Ménière’s Disease in Boise Idaho. As an Upper Cervical Chiropractor Dr Blom focuses on the relationship between the first bone in the spine known as the Atlas (C1 vertebra).

There is a proven correlation between the misalignment of the Atlas bone and Ménière’s Disease symptoms. In patients groups as large as 139 patients with Menieres Disease, all had suffered trauma to the neck and Atlas misalignments. The misalignment was shown to be corrected in as little as 1 or 2 adjustments and giving patients as much as a 70% reduction in symptoms3 naturally.

If you are suffering with Ménière’s Disease in Boise Idaho contact Dr Blom for a consultation to see how Upper Cervical Chiropractic can help you.

When Everything SpinsIf you go through times when it feels like everything is spinning, but you're not moving, we understand the pain and frustration you're feeling. You know you're suffering from Vertigo or Disequilibrium, but you're not sure which one. That can be frustrating, but not know which one is not nearly as frustrating as just going through the stress.

Well, they are similar, but there are differences. People who experience Vertigo get the sensation they are spinning when there is no movement. People who suffer from Disequilibrium deal with the sensation that they're falling, the floor is tilting, or they're floating.

Now, it's important to note that both of these conditions are signs of an underlying condition, so it's important for those who suffer from one of these conditions to know which one they suffer from. We'll look at those conditions caused by Vertigo in this blog, and then next week we'll look at those caused by Disequilibrium.

Acute Vestibular Neuritis – This is the result of inflammation in your inner ear. People who suffer from this also suffer from nausea, vomiting, and difficulty with their balance. Sometimes, sufferers will also experience temporary hearing loss, but it usually clears up on its own.

Meniere's disease – When fluid builds up in your inner ear, this is the result. This also causes tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss, and a sensation of fullness in the ear.

Vestibular migraine – This is a type of Aura, so only people who suffer from migraines may suffer from this. This may last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and it's usually associated with light or noise sensitivity.

Acoustic neuroma – This is benign growth on the Vestibular Nerve (That connects your inner ear to your brain), and it may result in hearing loss or Tinnitus

Living Past Vertigo

If you suffer from Vertigo, you will want to stop the suffering as soon as possible. Generally most people will first seek evaluation of an ear, nose and throat doctor to evaluate for some of the issues described above that may be causing vertigo. If none of those issues are at work then you likely will be prescribed some sort of medication for the symptoms and told that you will need to learn to live with it. However there is a common underlying cause of vertigo that many medical doctors are likely unaware of, this is what’s known as cervicogenic vertigo.

Cervicogenic, meaning of the neck (cervical) is when vertigo, dizziness, disequilibrium, Ménière’s disease, tinnitus is a result of issues in the neck. If you have had a history of head or neck injuries including car accidents, falls, sports injuries, concussions, whiplash, been knocked unconscious etc. is very likely that you have suffered a misalignment to your upper neck. Misalignments in the upper neck can lead to a variety of changes with the nerves that began in that area at the level of the brainstem. Vertigo is just one of the symptoms that are commonly associated with upper neck misalignments. Dr. Grayson Blom has seen tremendous results with those suffering with vertigo and similar conditions by evaluating the upper neck for misalignment and correcting those misalignments in order to help regulate normal nerve, blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow to from and through the brain.